A Comprehensive Review of Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Breast Cancer: Pharmaceutical Perspectives
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- Category: Vol. 85, December 2017
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A Comprehensive Review of Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Breast Cancer: Pharmaceutical Perspectives
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer remains the most common can-cer among women worldwide, with conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy often leading to severe side effects and relapse. The limitations of these traditional therapies have led researchers to explore novel treatment strate-gies, including immunotherapy. Aim: This review aims to provide a comprehensive over-view of recent advancements in immunotherapy for breast can-cer, focusing on various pharmaceutical approaches, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and antitumor vaccines. Methods: The review synthesizes findings from recent studies on immunotherapy in breast cancer, including the roles of immune checkpoints such as CTLA-4, PD-1, TIM-3, and LAG-3. It also discusses the development and evaluation of antitumor vaccines. Results: Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising alter-native to traditional therapies. Key strategies include the block-ade of immune checkpoints (e.g., CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1), which has shown potential in improving patient outcomes by enhancing antitumor immunity. Notable therapies include pem-brolizumab, which has demonstrated efficacy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and other subtypes. Additionally, com-bining checkpoint inhibitors with other treatments, such as chemotherapy and novel agents targeting immunosuppressive molecules, has shown promise. Antitumor vaccines, such as those targeting HER2 and tumor-associated antigens, are being actively investigated and offer potential for personalized treat-ment approaches. Conclusion: Immunotherapy represents a significant ad-vancement in the treatment of breast cancer, offering more tar-geted and durable responses compared to conventional meth-ods. Despite challenges such as immune-related adverse effects and variable efficacy, ongoing research and clinical trials con-tinue to refine these approaches, aiming to improve patient sur-vival and quality of life.